The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts:
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to toys and more particularly to a toy having a housing with a platform with a slot below which is a driven continuous endlesss belt with a supporting member for supporting a body above the platform for movement thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toys utilizing continuous endless belt drive members operable within a channel beneath a platform to drive an object such as a vehicle or the like on the platform are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,322 in which the drive member is in the form of a chain having a plurality of beads interconnected by flexible links, the chain so-formed being operable within a channel to move a toy vehicle on a surface immediately above the channel.
The use of such continuous loop drive members to provide animation to other bodies, such as toy figures including horses, dolls or other animals are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 525,596; 885,350; 1,816,471; 2,784,525; and 2,874,513. In U.S. Pat. No. 525,596 a figure such as a riding horse is provided with a cam roller operating over a vertically disposed sinusoidally configured cam surface, the horse being pivotally secured to a member coupled to a chain to thereby pivot the horse about a horizontal axis. In a second embodiment, a boat is provided with rollers engaging vertically disposed lugs which cause the boat to pivot or rock about a horizontal axis. This patent as well as the above mentioned patents provides animated movement of the supported figure in various ways, which are elaborate in constructon, or limited in versatility of movement of the so-carried figure due to the connection with the belt, or unidirectonal in operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved toy utilizing an endless belt for conveying a doll or the like.
It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved toy utilizing a reversible drive means for driving a belt supporting a doll or the like, and reorienting the doll in response to the reversal of the drive member.